A watershed is an area where water flows downhill into streams, lakes, rivers or wetlands. In natural watersheds, such as forests, about 50% of rainwater infiltrates the soil. In urban watersheds, 30-70% of rainfall runs off into storm drains and natural water bodies. Layers of asphalt and concrete, known as impervious surfaces, reduce the land&rsq...
Although it is regulated at the federal level, stormwater management — and associated expenses — primarily fall under the responsibility of local governments. Many of these governments depend on federal and state funds to manage expenses. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater program regulates point-sour...
Are you ready to transform your community? Whether you’re planning new transit routes, building sidewalks and bridges or adding bike lanes, there’s funding to help. The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) grant program offers financial support to turn aging transportation infrastructure into opportunities for improving comm...
A staggering 150 million Americans live within 3 miles of contaminated brownfields, making cleanup and redevelopment funds a priority nationwide. In May, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a boon in funding from the Invest in America agenda, providing $300 million to facilitate ongoing efforts to clean and redevelop polluted brownf...
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources administers the state-financed Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants. This cost-sharing grant program between the state and local governments helps Illinois communities acquire and develop land for public parks and recreational spaces. Whether it is a small neighborhood park or a la...
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) offers a historic investment to help local and state governments improve transportation and other infrastructure. With this massive influx of funding — $1.2 trillion — we can improve infrastructure for public transit, drinking water and wastewater for years. After we review grants specific to Illinois, Iowa a...
Fehr Graham, a leading Midwest engineering and environmental firm, helped three clients secure principal forgiveness funding to replace lead service lines. The Village of Hanover in Jo Daviess County received $2,755,000 to replace 235 lead service lines. The City of Polo in Ogle County received $2 million to replace 175 lead service lines. The Vill...
In an industrial setting, it's common that hazard communication standards are followed. You've likely seen one without realizing it. Consider even the warning label on a bottle of bleach in a janitor's closet. Workplaces with greater potential hazards use these standards more. And now, updates to those longstanding policies could require an overhau...
Transportation infrastructure doesn't come cheap. Preserving historical trails, updating bike paths and carving out walkways require significant resources. Luckily, municipalities can secure grant funding through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP). Maintaining safe systems of transportation is one way to safeguard your community...
Safeguarding a community's health is important. Effluent discharge from publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) can cause major damage, so municipalities must remain vigilant to identify and eliminate threats to their water systems. When nutrient-rich waste streams into aquatic ecosystems, excess nitrogen and phosphorus increase the growth of microo...
Water quality management is serious. Municipalities must manage the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of surface water and groundwater to facilitate a healthy community, which is no small task. Water quality is determined by various factors, including dissolved oxygen (essential for aquatic life), salinity, turbidity (water clarity)...
Sewage sludge is a wastewater treatment byproduct, a semi-solid slurry of organic matter, trace chemicals and inorganic solids. The effective management, treatment and disposal of sewage sludge is a major challenge. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) protect public health, surface waters and the surrounding environment by focusing on the three Rs ...
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program requirements and how they’re shaping communities
Our roadways are about to become safer for drivers and pedestrians, and it's about time. With millions injured every year, change couldn't come soon enough. When streets and roads are unsafe, people pay the price. Shockingly, 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2023, as estimated by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrat...
Renovating a property listed on the historic registry is difficult. Doing it while also changing the property's intended use is even harder. Taking that on after a fire and with hazardous contamination present is the kind of challenge that requires experts from across industries to work together. When they do it successfully, the results can be spe...
Does your drinking water come from lead pipes, also known as service lines? Chances are more likely if your house was built before 1950. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates more than 96,000 lead service lines in Iowa, potentially exposing many homes to lead depending on the materials and methods used for plumbing. The EPA's lat...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide, legally enforceable drinking water standard for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This rule represents the most significant step under EPA's PFAS strategic roadmap, addressing PFAS pollution and protecting the public from potential PFAS hazards. The EPA a...
If you're exploring upgrades within your publicly owned treatment works (POTW), consider constructing an aeration basin in your community's wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to improve effluent quality and save on high energy costs. Let's focus on four questions to explore aeration basins: Why is aeration necessary in wastewater treatment?What is t...
Does your neighborhood have at least 51% low-to-moderate income individuals? If so, you may qualify for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), a federally funded program to support community development in low-income populations. This program's stringent eligibility requirements are governed by the Code of Federal Regulations. To qualify, at...
Are you ready to transform an under-used space in your community? Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its third round of brownfield grants, totaling $235 million. It is anticipated that approximately 200 grants will be awarded through the Brownfields Program. With this grant, the EPA partners with federal and state a...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new drinking water standards to limit the concentration of a family of forever chemicals known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS. PFAS chemicals were widely used for years in various industrial and consumer products and have been linked to health issues. The new limits are a sig...
